Ahead of the 2022 F1 season, we take a look at the young drivers who will be keen to take the next step in their careers.
Follow Us
In recent years, Formula 1 has moved away from sticking to experienced drivers in the long run. Instead, every team wants to have fresh talent around in a bid to build the team around them. And this is very evident in the 2022 F1 paddock.
It says a lot that almost every team has a driver in their early 20s right now, with two drivers being only in their second season – and one rookie of note as well.
And there is an advantage in long-term building – the teams and drivers will want to succeed together if they put in work successfully for the long haul.
Also read: Formula 1’s unknown competitive order makes for can’t-miss season opener at Bahrain
With that in mind, here are 6 young drivers to watch out for in the 2022 F1 season.
The Brit has been in Formula 1 since 2019, growing from strength to strength in an underwhelming Williams team. However, the Mercedes junior always seemed destined for a spot in the work’s team. And so it proved, with his full-time call up to the Woking-based side coming ahead of 2022.
However, Russell will have to justify Toto Wolff’s decision to pick him over the reliable Valtteri Bottas. The Finn never had what it took to beat Lewis Hamilton, but he was consistent and a team player. Russell is the future of Mercedes, but he’s teaming with the present. How he fares in his debut season will be watched keenly by all.
Given he’s been in the sport since 2018, it’s easy to forget that the Monagesque driver is only 24 – the same age as Russell, albeit a few months older. But he is a fine racing driver, one whom Ferrari are keen to build their future around. However, he will need to step up to the plate this season after a mixed 2021 season.
Leclerc wasn’t poor last season but a mixture of bad luck and inconsistency saw teammate Carlos Sainz finish ahead of him in the driver’s standings. If Leclerc is keen to stake his claim to be the team leader, he will need to outperform his teammate. And claim a few more podium finishes and race wins when he can.
Arguably one of the finest drivers of the midfield last year, Norris is seen as the future of McLaren by many. And it is not hard to see why; the 22-year-old regularly finished on the podium last season, comprehensively outperforming teammate Daniel Ricciardo in the process. His style of driving drew praise from none other than Hamilton himself.
However, there are areas in which Norris can improve. He nearly claimed a race win at Russia last year, only for a poor strategy call on his behalf to compromise his race late. His potential is clear for all to see. But he needs to push the team further up the grid now; that means more podium finishes and even the odd win is the bare minimum.
It was a season of two halfs for Red Bull’s junior driver from Japan. Tsunoda struggled throughout the first half of the season, despite the AlphaTauri being competitive. However, he turned things around massively in the second half of the season. He finished the season with a series of strong results, including fourth in Abu Dhabi – his highest points finish.
The key for the 2022 F1 season, however, will be to kick on. In Pierre Gasly, he has a competitive teammate whose work ethic and drive he could emulate. And he will need to do just that; Red Bull are famously ruthless in their approach and another inconsistent season will leave Tsunoda’s F1 future in doubt.
The only rookie on the grid this year has two major obstacles to overcome. The first is being a rookie in a season that will see a massive regulations overhaul. The second is to overcome the tag of being a ‘pay driver’; Zhou has not won a championship at junior levels and finished 3rd in last season’s F2 championship.
A little bit of history…
Ride onboard with Zhou Guanyu as he became the first-ever Chinese driver to compete in an F1 world championship ??#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/o0II5FuTWW
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 19, 2022
The first Chinese F1 driver is in the seat in part due to his nationality and the significant sponsorship money he brings. However, there is a solid race driver in Zhou, who has proved himself at least capable at the junior level. Do well enough at Alfa Romeo against a teammate of Bottas’ pedigree and he would have at least justified his presence in the sport for now.
2021 was an interesting season for the son of the legendary Michael Schumacher. Beginning his F1 career in comfortably the slowest car of the season in Haas, Mick showed enough to justify his spot on the grid. He got the best out of a very basic car and comprehensively outperformed his rookie teammate Nikita Mazepin. However, given the Russian’s struggles, that wasn’t seen as much of an accomplishment.
In the 2022 F1 season he will have a better benchmark in terms of his teammate – the returning Kevin Magnussen. Haas have looked decent for now, so the goalposts have moved for Schumacher. The key for this season will be regular points finishes and matching – if not beating – Magnussen. Should he do that, the 2020 F2 champion will be around and take another step closer to his dream of driving for Ferrari.
